


Reconciliation is a hard road to walk

by MurphysCopy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus McDonald and Taako Bonding, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Good Kid Angus McDonald, I Don't Even Know, I just want Lucretia to be loved ok, Kid Fic, Lucretia and Angus bonding, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, The Director | Lucretia-centric, Unresolved Emotional Tension, deaging, its gonna take a lot of painful conversations, no beta we die like men, she deserves it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27679262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurphysCopy/pseuds/MurphysCopy
Summary: When Angus McDonald shows up as a four-year-old, Lucretia must turn to the other birds for help. It's been approximately a year since the events of Story and Song, and minus a few formal meetings, Lucretia has avoided her family. Now it's just a matter of wading through the trauma and family issues to come together and protect Angus.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Everyone, Angus McDonald & Taako, Magnus Burnsides & The Director | Lucretia, The Director | Lucretia & Angus McDonald, The Director | Lucretia & Everyone, The Director | Lucretia & Merle Highchurch, The Director | Lucretia & Taako
Comments: 17
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Lucretia wasn’t worried, not really. Angus had pulled this stunt before. He had holed himself in his room for too long as he tried to piece together his latest case (which maybe she should be more concerned about a twelve-year-old solving murders and the like). So she knocked on the door once and waited. The dorm hall was mostly empty, many people had moved out since they had defeated the Hunger. Angus was only here because it was summer vacation and he wanted to be here. She was flattered when he had asked, if not confused.  
  
The minute she’d expected to wait rolled over into two, then into five. Now she was worrying. Lucretia knocked again, this time louder. She hovered at the door, trying to hear any movement from within. Nothing. With a flick of the wrist, the door unlocked and Lucretia entered the small dorm.  
  
The space was cramped. Angus had clearly tried to fit as many books onto his shelves as he could, but those spilled out onto the coffee and end tables. A stack of notebooks- notes from his many cases- sat on the counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. Lots of open books surrounded it. The one thing missing was Angus himself. Giving the living room a second passing glance, Lucretia moved on to the kitchen for a quick look, if only to say that she at least looked in there. Worry was getting less easy to banish now, the thought of Angus injured or worse bouncing around in her mind like a bouncy ball.  
  
“Angus?” She asked, peaking into the enclosed space. She scanned the floor and found a small boy detective sleeping on the floor. He looked to be about four or five, not his usual twelve-year-old self. His newsboy cap covered his face as he lay spread out on the tile, dressed in his sweater vest and a button-up shirt. The rise and fall of his chest brought Lucretia a minor comfort, even if the rest of his state didn’t. She knelt next to him, taking his cap off his face. Angus’s deep brown skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, but other than that, he was dead asleep, only twitching at the sudden light. Lucretia rubbed her face into her hand, scrunching her nose as she tried to think of some plan. Nothing came to mind at the moment. With no plan to be found, she gently tapped the boy on the shoulder. Angus woke up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, but made no move to sit up.  
  
“Angus, are you… ok?” Obviously not, but what else was she supposed to ask?  
  
“Yeah? I think so.” He stood up and took stock of the situation, patting his chest and arms. “I mean, minus…” Lucretia nodded. Even with her kneeling, she was taller than him by a good head or so.  
  
“Do you remember what happened?” Angus shook his head no.  
“I remember leaving to do reconana- reconnais-” The word seemed to trip him up and bother him more than it should. Angus frowned and tried again. “Recon. The rest is… fuzzy.”  
  
“Like static?” The words practically leap out of her mouth. The voidfish effect should be gone, but Lucretia couldn’t help but worry.  
  
“No? Um. Just don’t remember it.” She sighed, a hand resting on her chest. “What now, Ma’am?” He looked up at her with big brown eyes and a creased brow.  
  
“I-” The gears in her brain turned. What did one do with a shrunken kid? “We’re going to visit Merle. That’s a good first step, I think.” She clenched her hands, fingernails digging into her skin. She hoped Angus didn’t notice her anxiousness, though most likely he saw it and was being polite. Then there was the clothing situation. The boy was drowning in his shirt, yes, but it was also cold outside. Lucretia stood and grabbed a blanket off of the couch, Angus following her like a duckling. Gently she wrapped it around him, fussing with it a little longer than necessary to make sure it was secure.  
  
“Ready to go?”  
  
“Yeah.” He looked less than excited, to say the least. Lucretia nodded and walked out, Angus following as fast as he could. She tried her best to keep her long and imposing stride short for his sake, but even then Angus had a hard time keeping up and they were hardly five doors down.  
  
“This isn’t working, “ She said, watching Angus catch up with a little sprint. “It’d be much faster if I picked you up.”  
  
“And my feet wouldn’t be cold.”  
  
“There’s that too.” Angus fit comfortably in her arms, and he nestled into her shoulder, nearly falling asleep. As she walked, his curls bounced in time to her stride. He only stirred once, when Lucretia’s heels click-clacked on the stone of the launch room floor. Avi raised an eyebrow when she arrived with a bundle of blanket but Lucretia shut him down with a passing comment of “Accident on a mission, I need to see Merle”, and a glance at a sleeping Angus.  
  
Lucretia set Angus down in one of the seats, fussing with the seat belt and trying to keep him asleep at the same time. He woke up once and was able to be lulled back to sleep with a soft shush. Thankfully, he was about the size of a halfling now, and that the seats could accommodate. Lucretia settled into her own seat, waiting for the launch and ignoring how her body tensed up.  
  
A short trip later, and the sphere landed in soft sand outside Merle’s beachside house, the one nearest to the resorts. The house itself stood on stilts above the beach, made with worn wood and a thatch roof. It’s private enough to escape to when he didn’t manage a city or the latest generation of adventurers. Merle leaned on the railing of his porch, watching Lucretia pull out a tired Angus and rest the boy against her shoulder. In his hands was a large cup of tea. The dwarf looked well, his farmer’s tan deeper than when she last saw him, his white hair a little longer, but more well kept. He wore a Hawaiian shirt she didn’t recognize, a bright blue with purple flowers.  
  
“When d'you have a kid?” He called. With this, Angus stirred and fidgeted until he was released from Lucretia’s hold. She folded the blanket, holding it close to her chest. Angus wandered up the stairs and into Merle’s house. Leave it to the dwarf to forget to shut the door.  
  
“It’s Angus.” Merle raised a doubtful eyebrow. Ignoring it, Lucretia made her way to the porch and leaned on the railing next to her friend.  
  
“Angus is like, eight, Creesh, I know what he looks like.” He chuckled into his cup. Staring at him, Lucretia scowled. The very idea that she'd joke about Angus’s wellbeing was ridiculous and Merle soon got the point. “Oh, you’re serious.” He hurried after Angus, Lucretia on his heels. Angus was sitting on a kitchen chair with a book practically twice his size resting on the table. “Angus?” The boy, of course, looked up.  
  
“Yes, sir?” He inquired with a head tilt. “What is it?”  
  
“Pan, you really know how to pick ‘em, don’t ya, Creesh?” Merle groaned, setting down his mug on a counter. What exactly he meant, she didn’t know, but she got the gist of his annoyance. “C’mere kid, let’s see what we can do.” Contradicting himself, Merle waddled over to Angus. Lucretia hovered in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, right next to the front door. The kitchen was small, cozy, and mostly wood. A lot of the furniture in Merle’s house was woodwork from Magnus, actually. Plants covered a lot of the counters, and they were all healthy. Lucretia ignored most of them and watched Merle. With a considerable gentleness, Merle took Angus’s hands into his own, muttering a quick prayer  
  
“You remember what happened at all?”  
  
“I was in a forest, I think.”  
  
“Helpful.” Merle sighed, grumbling as he raided his kitchen cabinets. Angus looked to Lucretia with a confused look, clearly hurt by Merle’s usual grouchy old man routine. Lucretia poorly placated his concern with a tight smile. Merle pulled out a leather bag with shimmery dust clinging to the material. Lucretia moved closer to see properly, by the table. “For greater restoration, just to see.” Taking a large pinch of the powder, he placed his hands on Angus’s shoulders and murmured the words. It glowed brightly for a second with holy light. The powder burned up and leaves nothing. Angus looked down excitedly but was met with no change. He sighed and curls up tighter in his blanket. His eyes drooped with exhaustion.  
  
“Huh.” Merle shrugged and closed his bag of diamond dust. “I guess that’s it.”  
  
“That’s it? There’s nothing else to do?” Lucretia slammed her hands down, frustrated. The potted plant on the table shook. Angus jumped awake, his hat falling off as he did with a small thud. The kid looked for it sleepily.  
  
“Sorry, Angus,” She apologized softly, picking up the newsboy cap off the table and resting it on top of his dark curls. Her hands settled flat on the wood surface, and she willed for the tension in her shoulders to seep into the grain. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad. It was… unprofessional of me.” Merle scoffed.  
  
“Well, I mean, the circumstances sure are strange, Creesh. You’re allowed to be a little stressed.” Merle grabbed his mug and had rifled around his kitchen for a tea bag. The cup in his hand read ‘not paint’, and Lucretia suspected that it really belonged to Mavis, who was at her mother’s at the moment. “Why don’t we get the kid off to bed or somethin’ and then we can relax. Maybe call Taako and Magnus to come over tomorrow and see what’s up?”  
  
“Merle, that’s ridiculous. You’re telling me there’s nothing to be done.”  
  
“Yeah.” He thought for a second. “I mean, not right now, no. But look at ‘im!” Angus was sleeping on the chair and slowly sinking down toward the floor. “He’s tired, and I’m tired, and you’re really tired. It doesn’t do us any good to stay up and stress about it. Go t’bed, doctor’s orders.” Lucretia pressed her fingertips into the table harder, turning Merle’s words in her head. They made sense, she supposed. Finally, she gave up, pushing herself upright.  
  
“You’re not actually a doctor, but fine.” She scooped up Angus in a blanket burrito with ease. “Do you have a spare room or something? I’m not partial to him sleeping on the couch.” Setting his mug on the counter (he had yet to find the tea), Merle guided her to the hallway, just beyond the living room.  
  
living room. “I got a spare room that’s… kinda Mavis’s?” He opened a door to reveal a plain room with a couple of Mavis’s things. It was a deep blue and, as with all the other rooms, had a couple of plants. In a corner was a desk with a couple of watercolor paints and a few brushes scattered about. “She stays here when she visits, but it’s not, like her official room or whatever.” Merle pivoted to the room across the hallway. “That one is Mookie’s, and if you knew what was good for ya, ya wouldn’t go in. Shit looks like a hurricane came by.”  
  
“Thank you. I mean it.” Lucretia looked down at the dwarf with a friendly smile.  
  
“Yeah, no problem. What’s family for, and all that.” With that, Merle left a stunned Lucretia behind to go make tea. “I’ll call Taako and Magnus, don’tcha worry,” He called.  
  
Lucretia quickly made her way into the bedroom and shut the door quietly behind her with a hip. Angus stirred as she set him down on the bed, but was otherwise dead asleep. He was small compared to the bed, and Lucretia felt guilt shoot through her. Angus was under her care when this happened. She should’ve kept better track of where he was, even if the boy was prone to sneaking off. Taako was going to have her head for this, as if she didn’t already feel awful.  
  
Pressing sweaty palms into her ornate robes, she stared down at her clothes. They were unfit to sleep in, made of billowing blue and gold fabric that graced the floor, and had complex patterns stitched into the neckline with fine silk threads. She had gotten them early in her Madam Director career to appear credible and intimidating, and now the look stuck. The robes were also unfit for walking ankle-deep in sand, but here she was, the grains stuck to the hem. Lucretia glanced at the door, knowing Merle waited for her on the couch, probably. Her heart pounded at the idea.  
  
“Fuck.” She sighed under her breath. She had wanted to give them all space, some time to heal, and whatnot. This was too soon, despite it being a year. “Fuck.” The doorknob was cool against the heat of her hand. With a look over her shoulder, she saw Angus was peacefully asleep, curled in on himself. “Fuck,” she whispered. Dim light filled the hall, casting soft shadows on her and the hanging plants as she straightened her shoulders and smoothed out her robes.  
  
Merle was lounging on his brown couch, tea in one hand and a book in the other. On the coffee table was another cup of tea, still hot. He was smiling, obviously proud of his ability to read her so well.  
  
“I’ve got honey if you want.” He offered as Lucretia sat on the other side of the couch. The honey was in a squat clay jar with a lid and a spoon. She nodded in appreciation and put a spoonful into the tea. The smell of lavender lazily floated upwards. The scent was familiar, a Merle special back on the Starblaster. “How’ve you been, Lucretia?” Merle was doing his best counselor voice, one reserved for late nights on the Starblaster and serious situations ™..  
  
“The Bureau of Benevolence has been doing exceedingly well. Currently, we’re rebuilding Hyannon, an important trade city on the coast. Funding’s been tight. Few have spare cash. Um, I’ve been talking to some wealthier people, but dealings have been slow.” She took a long sip of tea and refused to meet Merle’s kind stare.  
  
“That’s wonderful, Creesh. That’s some great progress.” Merle smiled. “And how’ve you been handling all that? Tell me you've been taking care of yourself too.” Her eyes slid over to Merle. “Oh, c’mon, you don’t think that pathetic attempt of deflecting is gonna work on- on me, did you?” Lucretia shrugged.  
  
“Fine. I’m working very hard at making sure the Bureau is running properly. It’s a lot of paperwork and management, but Brad has been helping. He… he makes sure I don’t overwork myself too often.” She sighed, slumping into the soft back of the couch. “It’s a lot, Merle. It’s a lot of people depending on me, again.” The dwarf nodded. “Angus, he’s staying for the summer, did Taako tell you that?”  
  
“He mentioned it, yeah.”  
  
“He was furious, I’m sure. He looked… tense when he dropped off Angus.” Lucretia took another sip of tea, tightening her hands around the cup and soaking in the warmth. “I have no idea why Angus asked to stay at all.” She sighed, leaving the rest of the thoughts unsaid.“Stressed, Merle. I’ve been stressed.”  
  
“You’ve got a lot on your shoulders.” Merle bitterly chuckled to himself. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked, hasn’t it?” Lucretia hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ve missed this.” He smiled, faintly. “I’ve missed you, Creesh. The others, well, maybe not Dav, but we keep in touch. The others drop by sometimes, but you’ve... “ He frowned, scrunching his nose.  
  
“I’ve missed you too. I’ve just… been busy is all.” She looked down at her tea. “I’m sorry about that.” The warmth of the tea and the couch had been enough to make her drowsy, but now she was mostly awake. Talking about… the impact of the last year or so made her stomach turn. She chugged the rest of the tea down to its dregs and stood. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night.” Merle looked reserved like he was keeping his face neutral. Even he was walking on eggshells around her like she was with him.  
  
“Alright. Probably a good idea. Gotta prepare for the shitshow about to happen.” He grabbed the teacup from her hands and started to gather the tea set. “G’night, Creesh.”  
  
“Good night, Merle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first fic on here, and I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but we'll see. This started off kinda crack, then turned a little serious, so forgive me if this fic is a little strange. I'm not sure how in character these characters are, particularly Merle (and a little bit Lucretia). Any and all feedback is welcome  
> -  
> The chapter was edited to add character descriptions.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucretia watched the door with quick glances between bites of egg and conversation. Her leg bounced with nervous energy. If Merle noticed, he failed to comment on it as he buzzed by the table, watering his plants in random order. She didn’t pretend to understand his methods. Angus sat next to her, practically inhaling his breakfast as soon as she placed it in front of him. Somehow, he had managed to not get bits of food on his shirt. He now wore some of Mookie’s old clothes, and Lucretia was grateful that Merle had packrat tendencies with his children’s things.  
  
“Don’t choke on them eggs, kid,” Merle said, flying by the table to refill his watering can at the sink.  
  
“Oh, I won’t, sir! The Director said I couldn’t eat and read at the same time, and I just got to the good part!” Merle snorted and left again, leaving the two behind.  
  
“You can call me Lucretia, Angus.” The words “the director” sent a wave of guilt over her. It threatened to drown her as it crashed against her lungs, stormlike and unmerciful. Few people called her director anymore, but somehow Angus had missed the memo.  
  
“Are you sure, ma’am?”  
  
“I’m fairly sure,” she said as she nodded. His detective's brain was spinning. She could practically hear it. The boy slipped out of his chair and put away his plate. Guilt crawled up her throat now, gripping tight as she watched Angus run into the living room to his book.  
  
There was a knock at the door, a solid thud against the wooden frame. Steeling herself and choking down dread, Lucretia rose and tentatively made her way to the door. Angus rushed into the kitchen and nearly collided with the counter. His only saving grace was he had grabbed onto Lucretia’s robes and had run into, instead, Lucretia. Undeterred, Angus threw open the door to reveal Magnus.  
  
Too quick for Lucretia to dodge, Magnus wasted no time scooping Lucretia into a bear hug, sweeping her off the floor. For once, she was taller than him and could stare down at his wild, ruddy hair. He squeezed her against himself as if he could love the dread away, as if it were the first and last hug ever. Lucretia paused a moment, suspended in the air, hands shaking. She collapsed against him and squeezed him back. Tears formed in her eyes, and as she batted them back, she realized how much she had missed Magnus’s bear hugs. Magnus set her down, too soon, and knelt before Angus.  
  
“Merle said you’d been minified, Ango, he didn’t say you were this tiny!” Magnus poked the kid’s cheek. Angus grinned. Lucretia caught sight of small fresh scars littering Magnus’s fingers. They were light against his copper skin and difficult to miss. , she wondered how many ducks he had carved in the year she missed. Did he look less… worried? Stressed? Lucretia wasn’t sure. She pulled out of her thoughts when Magnus scooped Angus into his arms and threw him into the air with ease, the boy’s head nearly hitting the ceiling.  
  
“Magnus!” He turned with a lopsided smile and caught Angus. Angus was laughing his head off, hanging limply in Magnus’s firm hold. “You can’t throw him around like… like a football.”  
  
“Oh, he’s fine Luce, look at ’im.” He hoisted the child upon his bicep like a trophy, a hand on Angus’s stomach for stabilization. Angus was giggling.  
  
“I’m fine, ma’am!” Her hands curled into tight fists, fingernails digging into skin as she tried to find the words. Sensing her worry, or so she assumed, Magnus set Angus down. Angus’s eye darted between the two adults.  
  
“If you’re that worried, I’ll stop.”  
  
“Maybe not as… not as high next time,” she mumbled, uncurling her hands and pressing them against her thighs.  
  
“Stop what, Maggie?” They both turned to the doorway to see Taako leaning on the wooden frame. He wore a thick blue cloak with a white fur lining that slid off his shoulders. Taako glided past Lucretia, his enormous hat smacking her nose. His pale fingers glistened with several expensive rings, and his hands delicately set his cloak onto a nearby chair. Taako, as always, looked like a model fresh off the runway. Lucretia stepped back and hovered between the kitchen and living room. She watched Taako’s eyes. They scanned Angus with concern. No matter how carefully neutral Taako kept his face, his eyes and ears were a dead giveaway.  
  
“Throwin' Angus.”  
  
“Eh, he’ll be fine, won't cha, Ango?” Taako placed a hand on Angus’s forehead with a grin. “Threw ya off a train, and you were right as rain.” Angus stuck his tongue out.  
  
“You what?” Fear gripped Lucretia as her eyes nearly popped out of her skull.  
  
“He’s fine.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “Where’s Merle? We need to have a family meeting.” Scooping up Angus like a sack of potatoes, he started down the hallway. His heeled boots echoed down the corridor. Lucretia watched for a second before Magnus took her wrist and led her into the living room. She sank into an armchair and curled, hands placed on her propped up knee.  
  
Magnus splayed out on the couch, his head tilted up and staring at the ceiling. Appreciating the wood patterns, maybe. His hands traced a button sewn into a pillow next to him, silent. The silence disturbed her, for it left her mind spinning aimlessly. It conjured up images of screaming matches and weapons drawn. Worse scenarios popped up, interrupting and piling on one another. She considered telling Magnus her fears, but no, she shouldn’t. Burdening her friend with her silly concerns was selfish, and she had already taken too much.  
  
The click-clack of Taako’s boots signaled his return, with Merle following. Angus had ended up on Taako’s shoulders, somehow. With a swift motion, Taako swung Angus down and sat gracefully with Angus sitting on his lap. Taako’s head rested on Angus’s as he held the child close to his chest. Merle opted to lean on the wall. Taako’s long, slender ears were pinned to the side of his head, a sign of distress even if the rest of his face was carefully aloof.  
  
“Alright, what happened and how do we fix this?” Taako glanced at Lucretia. They made eye contact before Lucretia broke it and stared at the bookcase. A scoff left Taako’s lips, and she pretended not to hear it. In her peripheral, Magnus was glancing between the two of them. His attempts to keep the action subtle weren’t working.  
  
“Umm… Well, I was working on a case.” Angus looked up at Taako. “There were disappearances in Dayite and I went to investigate.” Taako frowned, brows creasing.  
  
“Isn’t that a little dangerous, Angus?” His eyes bore holes into Lucretia, his left ear twitching all the while.  
  
“Well, Madam- er, Ms. Lucretia didn’t… didn’t know, exactly.” Angus’s hands began to fidget. “We agreed that I could help the police, but… couldn’t do the fieldwork, like chasing the criminal.” Angus looked to Lucretia, but she still stared at the bookshelf. She sighed, there was only so long she could pretend the book spines were interesting.  
  
“That’s what we agreed to, yes.” Her head turned to look at Angus. “I should’ve known that…” She bit back her comment and pressed her hands together.  
  
“So, what I’m hearing is, and, forgive me if this is… incorrect, is Lucretia can’t keep track of a twelve-year-old.” Taako pulled Angus tighter against himself and continued to glare at her. “Where even were you, huh?”  
  
“I was negotiating a large donation from some business execs if you must know. The Bureau of Benevolence is…” Searching for the right words, she bit her lip. “not lacking funds, per se, but rebuilding towns is expensive, as you probably can imagine.” Magnus stirred at this, a protest leaping off his tongue almost immediately.  
  
“Luce, you could’ve…” Lucretia held her hand up.  
  
“Thank you, Magnus, but…” How to explain? “I couldn’t ask, I… It wouldn’t sit right.”  
  
“Anyway! not the point.” Taako interrupted, and Lucretia almost found herself grateful. “The point, Director, is that you left this happen.” The words were brimming with vitriol. Her title, upon being spat at her, seared her flesh. Her lip curled as she tilted her head in quiet anger. She rose and looked down at the elf.  
  
“Is there no time that you haven’t left him alone? In the dorms perhaps?” A calm and simmering rage stirred in her, rising in her chest. “He was twelve, he was practically independent!” Her voice grew louder, stronger.  
  
“He’s a kid!” Taako sprung from the couch, Angus in tow. The boy clung to Taako’s arms, curling around them and hiding his face in the silken tunic. His voice rose to match hers. “A kid that you-” His hand shot forward accusatory. “should have been able to out- fucking- smart.” Lucretia stood nose to nose with him, her hands curled into fists that trembled with anger. His ears twitched violently, his green eyes enraged as she had seen only once before.  
  
Before she could say anything, she felt Merle’s hand on her hip, pushing her and Taako apart. Angus was sobbing into Magnus’s chest. Neither of them had noticed when Magnus had taken Angus from Taako, or even that Angus had been crying. She hadn’t noticed, and she was kicking herself for it. Taako collapsed on the cushions with a huff. He kept glancing at Angus, obviously concerned, no matter how much he tried to hide it.  
  
Magnus was bouncing Angus on his hip, making a low hushing and rubbing his hand up and down the boy’s back. Every once in a while, he’d mumble something into the boy’s hair. It seemed to calm him down somewhat.  
  
Merle stood in the center of the room.  
  
“Listen, I know that you two aren’t…” He looked at both of them. “On the best terms, let’s say.” Taako scoffed, receiving a death glare from Merle. “But this isn’t the time to start with the finger-pointing. It ain’t helpful, and it ain’t going to fix this.” Merle gestured to her to sit down, and she obliged as gracefully as possible. Taako stared her down as she did, but she kept her gaze on Merle. The dwarf was wired, his shoulders tense.  
  
“Um,” Magnus said, “I say we try to look at Angus’s case notes. See where the trail leads? See what we’re uh, what we’re dealin’ with here.” His voice remained low and even. “We can make plans from there.” His fingers idly played with Angus’s hair. “Angus would know where that was, so whoever goes should take ‘im.”  
  
“Cool, I’ll take him, Mags.” Taako held his hands out for Angus.  
  
Angus shook his head.  
  
“I want Magnus too.” He clung to Magnus tightly. Taako tried to mask his hurt, his expression landing somewhere in confusion. Lucretia felt a pain in her chest for Taako. Angus had never once, that she knew of, rejected Taako outright. Taako’s hands settled in his lap, and he shrugged.  
  
“Ok, Ango. Whatever you want.” After a second, he left for the porch. The movement was too quick to be casual, as much as Taako tried to hide it under several layers of nonchalant-ness. The other two picked up on this as well, Lucretia could tell.  
  
“Can you get one of the sphere things?” Magnus asked. Lucretia was focused on the front door where Taako had left. “Lucretia.” His tone was still even, but sterner.  
  
“Oh!” Her head snapped toward Magnus. ‘Yes, I’ll call Avi right away.” She fumbled for her stone.  
  
“Thanks, Luce," Magnus said as he left to go wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did Taako justice, he was difficult to write. His way of speaking was hard to pin down for some reason.  
> Anyway, I promise the next chapter will have more fluff! Sorry for nearly taking a month, hopefully, the next chapter will be much quicker.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some fluff? Mild fluff...  
> TBH I struggled more with this than I thought I would, but it turned out pretty ok. It's been hard to work on this with school and stuff. I hope you enjoy!

Magnus was doing pretty ok, if anyone were to ask. No one would, because two out of the three other people were sulking and Merle was who knows where at the moment. All things considered, he was as fine as possible. He just had to remind himself of that as Angus struggled to put on his velcro shoes. The four-year-old had insisted that he could do it himself, and Magnus wanted to respect the kid’s boundaries. 

Lucretia appeared by his side, in her silent way, and hovered. 

“You need anything while I’m up on the moon?” He asked as nonchalantly as possible. 

“Oh, well. If it’s not any bother,” Her hands were twisting around themselves now. “Could you, ah, grab some more comfortable clothes for me from my room? These robes are nice and all, but they’re not suited for everyday wear, y’know?” Magnus nodded slowly.

“You could come with, if you wanted.” 

“If it's not…” Her mouth twisted thoughtfully. “Alright.” Lucretia’s face settled into a mildly pleased smile. Magnus wondered if she knew she was always welcome, but stored that line of thought for later. There were more pressing things now. 

Angus leapt up from the floor, his light up shoes casting a bright blue light on the kitchen tile.

“You ready, Ango?”

“You bet, sir!” Angus, with a grin, eagerly grabbed Magnus’s hand and pulled him toward the door. “There’s a mystery to solve, we gotta go!” Angus hopped into the sphere and scrambled on a seat. He strapped himself in too, Lucretia barely had to adjust it. Though, that did not stop her from double and triple checking it before settling into her own seat with a nervous huff.

Magnus busied himself with another duck and listened to the beat of Angus’s flailing legs kicking the edge of the seat. The boy’s eyes were wide with wonder as he watched the house shrink into the distance and more of Faerun appear. With a glance, Magnus saw Lucretia folding and unfolding her hands together repeatedly. It nearly matched the beat of Angus, if only it weren’t so fast. The idea of bringing up her nervousness crossed his mind, briefly, before he shot it down. 

Magnus was grateful when they arrived. Maybe the silence wouldn’t be so constricting with all the space. Immediately, Lucretia agreed to meet them in Angus’s room soon and then walked away. He watched her leave for a second, before focusing on the task at hand. 

“Well, it’s you and me for now, Ango.” Magnus said, looking down. It was not unlike when he was twelve, if he didn’t think about it too much. The only thing he could really see was the top of his head usually, and now wasn’t that different. Then Angus looked up at him with big brown eyes and a general smallness and shattered the illusion. Damn it. 

As they walked, Magnus took care to not leave Angus behind in the dust, though the kid did fall behind quickly despite both of their best efforts. Magnus had always had to take care he wasn’t walking too fast when adventuring with Merle, and he would’ve thought the skill would’ve transferred over. Apparently Angus was too small or didn’t have a wide enough stride. 

“Magn’s, I’m cold.” Angus complained when Magnus had once again stopped and waited. Fall was seeping in slowly like it did every year, and now was in an awkward stage of cold with none of the colorful leaves. Magnus had barely noticed the change and hadn’t bothered with any layers, being a walking furnace and all. He’d neglected to think of Angus. Damn it. 

“Um… I think we’re almost there, can you make it that far?” He asked, mentally kicking himself. 

Angus looked deadly serious about this question, folding his arms and resting his chin on his fist in a contemplative pose. With a sigh, he said: “I guess, sir.”  
“Here, I’ll pick ya up and we’ll get there faster.” Angus had always been light to Magnus, most people were, but now Magnus could barely feel the weight on his chest as he held Angus close. The kid had propped himself on Magnus’s shoulder and was eagerly watching for his door - 107- in the line of seemingly endless doors.

“There!” Angus nearly launched himself out of Magnus’s hold, his hand slapping against the golden numbers on the dark red door. His head whipped around to look at Magnus with a beaming smile. Magnus smiled back and opened the door to a dimly lit apartment. Setting Angus down, he flicked on the light. 

“Where’s the case file… or journal or whatever?” Magnus picked up a book from one of the numerous stacks, glanced at the long, boring title and tossed it onto the couch. None of these looked related to the case. 

Angus made a beeline for the kitchen counter, pulling books and papers down. Soon a stack of important looking documents was pressed messily against Angus’s chest. A book of necromancy laid open on the floor. Mentally, Magnus made a note to tell Barry. He’d be delighted.

“This is it, sir!” Angus shoved the pile into Magnus’s hands. Quietly, Magnus straightened it and watched as Angus climbed the chair to grab a manilla folder with even more paper. “There were a lot of disappearances in Dayite. Ms. Lucretia wouldn’t…” His expression dropped. “Wouldn’t let me go investigate.” Magnus glanced at a picture paperclipped to paper. It showed a body torn apart against a tree, too gruesome for anyone, most of all Angus. He flipped through the stack and found more. It was obvious why Lucretia had forbade the investigation. 

“Where’d you get these anyway?” The papers looked official and they were definitely not in Angus’s small, scribbled handwriting. Instead the letters were large and neat, printed carefully. Angus sheepishly wrung his hands against the back of the chair. 

“Stole ‘em, they had lots’a copies...” The words were hardly spoken, but Magnus caught them just fine. Blame it on years of listening to Taako mutter his thoughts under his breath. 

“You stole them? At'a boy!” He ruffled Angus’s dark curls with a grin. Angus squeaked and grabbed at the offending hand.  
“Don’t tell Ms. Lucretia! She’ll be real mad and…” His nose scrunched as he played with Magnus’s fingers. “I don’t want her to be mad.” Angus started to twist Magnus’s wedding ring in place. It was a wooden band with golden leaves weaving around the design. Julia had made it, as he had made hers. He didn’t have the heart to tell Angus to stop.

“I won’t tell,” Magnus said, holding out his hand for a pinkie swear. With grave seriousness, Angus linked his hand with Magnus’s. “I promise.” Angus grinned.

“Thank you.” Magnus and Angus busied themselves with collecting the files, both Angus’s own and the official missing reports. It wasn’t, theoretically, too hard, but Angus had little to no organization system and they were scattered across the small living room. Magnus tucked the files underneath his arm and scooped Angus up in the other once they had gathered it all. Or, what they hoped was all of it. 

“C’mon, we gotta go meet up with Luce.”


End file.
